


Soul Mates

by fangirl98



Category: Star Trek, Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: M/M, T'hy'la, soul mates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-17
Updated: 2014-11-17
Packaged: 2018-02-25 19:55:03
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,830
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2634245
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fangirl98/pseuds/fangirl98
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is my first post!! I hope you like it!! I thrive on kudos and comments!!</p>
    </blockquote>





	Soul Mates

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first post!! I hope you like it!! I thrive on kudos and comments!!

“Do you believe in soul-mates?”

 

 

Captain Kirk really didn’t know what for sure had prompted the question. Most likely it was because when he sat here, in his quarters, playing his nightly game of chess with Commander Spock, he felt a contentment he felt nowhere else- not even on The Bridge.

 

 

The feeling wasn’t something he was used to, and it was hard to explain. The best way he could explain it was wholeness. He felt like a complete person when he had private time with Spock, and the rest of the time he was missing something; like half of his being was gone. And isn’t a soul-mate supposed to be your other half? Personally, Kirk had never given much thought to the idea, and really wasn’t too concerned with it either, but his observation about his chess games with Spock did make him wonder what a Vulcan’s take on soul-mates would be. Nothing short of logical, he was sure, and admittedly, it was probably a foolish question, but at the very least it would be cute to see Spock respond.

 

 

So he had asked.

 

 

Spock diverted his attention away from his next move and focused it on Kirk, who was looking at him with an expectant look in his eyes. The question had taken him slightly by surprise, as they had not presently been engaged in conversation, and earlier when they were, it had been about ship business. Nothing as connotatively intimate as the term Kirk was inquiring about. Nevertheless, Spock felt obliged to offer an answer.

 

 

“Well, that depends on what you mean by the term ‘soul-mate’, Captain,” he told Kirk honestly.

 

 

“Is there more than one meaning?” Kirk asked, and Spock looked thoughtful.

 

 

“I believe so, yes.”

 

 

“Enlighten me.”

 

 

“If by ‘soul-mate’ you mean the metaphorical term applying to two people who have complementary personalities on a level that makes them capable of long-lasting intimate behavior, then logically, I would have to say that, yes, I do believe in soul-mates. It is quite possible for two people to have qualities, whether mental, physical, or even emotional, assuming we are discussing a culture that has such qualities, which go together in such a way as to make a stable relationship.”

 

 

“…But?” Kirk prompted.

 

 

“But, if you are referring to the term ‘soul-mate’ literally, meaning that there is specifically one person who is designated to be the best significant other to another, because of their souls’ compatibility, then I would have to say that, no, I do not believe in soul-mates.”

 

 

“Is that because you don’t believe in souls?”

 

 

“Not in the way that I think that you are implying. On Vulcan, a soul is referred to as a ‘katra’, and it contains all of the knowledge of a person, so that after they die, everything that they knew can be salvaged.”

 

 

“But that’s not what I mean?”

 

 

“I do not believe so. You see, on Earth, and other emotionally ridden cultures, so-called ‘souls’ are what makes up a person’s entire being, and after death, the soul continues to live as a sentient creature in some sort of alternate plane of existence.”

 

 

“So you are saying that if I mean the term ‘soul-mate’ literally, then it implies religious connotation of which you do not believe in.”

 

 

“That is more or less correct.”

 

 

“But say we looked at this, not from a soul and religious point of view, but from a scientific point of view. Do you think that it’s possible for there to be one best match for a person?”

 

 

“I suppose, if you took in all the factors, you could deduce that there is the correct personality type that would be most compatible to each person, yes. But Captain, the odds of finding the one person who matches perfectly to you would be highly improbable.”

 

 

“And you don’t believe in luck.”

 

 

“Luck is not a logical concept, Captain.”

 

 

“Of course.” Kirk paused for a moment, deep in thought. “So you don’t ever think people find their perfect matches?”

 

 

“I did not say that. I said the odds would make it highly improbable. Improbable. Not impossible.”

 

 

“Your perspective would be a rude awakening to many people, Mr. Spock.”

 

 

“Only because of irrational emotionalism, Captain. Only a race of people preoccupied with having the best would be disappointed at the low odds of not being able to find such a person. Just because a person is not 100% compatible, does not mean that the relationship will not prevail.”

 

 

“Well, sure Spock, that’s true, but can’t you understand the sort of, I dunno, romanticism that goes along with the idea of a, for sake of argument, ‘soul-mate’?”

 

 

“I can understand the appeal, yes. Having someone who is your perfect match would indeed make a relationship easier to manage. It is certainly not a new preoccupation either, as I’m sure you realize. On Vulcan, the concept of T’hy’la, the closest word to your English conception of ‘soul-mate’, meaning friend/brother/lover, referring to the person who is most compatible with you in all walks of life. This word has existed since a time before logic ruled my planet, and even as we pride ourselves in rationalism and science, the concept remains.

 

 

“On your Earth, Greek legend speaks of humans who were created with four arms, four legs, and two heads, only to have Zeus find them too powerful, and split them in half, dooming humans to spend their lives searching for their other halves.

 

 

“If you look elsewhere, to almost all cultures in which we have come across, even Klingon, there always seems to be a concept that most closely resembles that which you speak of. It is something of an instinct, I believe, in highly developed humanoids, to want to have a compatible relationship so that genes can be passed on more easily.

 

 

“I am not unsympathetic to the idea, Captain. I certainly understand the notion. Even if on Vulcan the way in which mates are chosen is not in terms of emotion, I cannot deny that I recognize the desire.”

 

 

“…But?” Kirk prompted again.

 

 

“But, I believe that if one spends all of their time searching for their perfect match, they will miss the obvious, not necessarily perfect, matches that present themselves before them. Arranged marriages on Vulcan seem to work out perfectly fine, and I assure you that most, or even all, are not with their ‘soul-mates’. I, for one, do not see the need to search out my 100% match if I am content with what I have now.”

 

 

“Well, are you content with what you have now, Spock? I mean, you have no bondmate anymore. Not after what happened with, you know…” Kirk hesitated, not sure if he should bring up the touchy subject. “T’Pring.”

 

 

Spock pondered.

 

 

“Had I followed through with the marriage of T’Pring,” he began to explain. “I do believe that I would have been content enough with it to carry on. Would it have been ideal? No. We were rather different people, both wanting and respecting different aspects of life. However, as I stated, relationships can work even if the matches are not exact.

 

 

“That said, she was not, as you would say, my ‘soul-mate’, and I have lost little sleep due to the breaking of the bond we shared. If I so desire, I am left to look elsewhere for such companionship, and if ever I see the need, I welcome the freedom to choose my own mate.”

 

 

“But you would never see a need to do that, though, would you?” Kirk felt his hopes fall slightly, and he wasn’t completely clear as to why. “I mean, without the drive of Pon Farr, a Vulcan would see no need for a relationship, would they? That would just be… petty emotionalism? Wouldn’t it?”

 

 

Spock bit his lip lightly in contemplation, and thought a moment before responding. Each response had to be logical and thorough.

 

 

“You do forget, Captain,” Spock said, his tone a little quieter now. “That I am half human. Try as I might to deny it, my human half does leave me with some desire to share my company with someone of which I have compatibility with.”

 

 

“So you would seek your soul-mate?” Kirk shot him his winning smile. “Or your, T’hy’la, if you will, or even, ‘other half’, if you prefer?”

 

 

Spock almost smiled.

 

 

Instead of answering, however, he asked, “What about you, Captain? Would you ever seek such a person?”

 

 

“To be honest, Spock,” Kirk said a little tentatively, not sure if he should say what was on his mind, but not wanting to censor himself either. “I think I may have the closet thing I’ll ever get to a soul-mate already.”

 

 

“Oh?”

 

 

“Yeah.”

 

 

“Would you care to elaborate?”

 

 

Kirk laughed at Spock’s innocent way of saying, ‘I’m curious! Tell me who!’, and said, “Oh, well, it’s someone I’m rather close to. Someone who I can trust almost more than I can trust myself. They can keep up with me on an intellectual level, and they are always there when I need them, whether it be on a professional level or a personal one.”

 

 

Spock looked a bit perplexed.

 

 

“Captain,” he said, his voice slightly confused. “Are you referring to Doctor McCoy?”

 

 

Kirk couldn’t help but burst out in a harsh chuckle at that.

 

 

“No, Spock, no.” He laughed a little more. “No, I’m talking about you.”

 

 

“Me?”

 

 

“Well, sure. Earlier we defined ‘soul-mate’ as someone who has a comparable personality to your own, correct?”

 

 

“That, or complementary.”

 

 

“Right. Well, I certainly feel that we have complementary personalities. Don’t you? I mean, I feel more secure with you than I do with any other crewmember, or any other person, for that matter, and I should think that you feel that closeness as well.

 

 

“I don’t necessarily mean it in a sexual way, Spock, but that chemistry is there. Can’t you feel it?”

 

 

Spock twiddled his thumbs together a moment, and Kirk felt a little nervous, worried that he had overstepped a boundary.

 

 

“I suppose I do see what you mean, Captain. No other human, nor any other being, has ever accepted me with such warmth and understanding as you.”

 

 

Kirk gave a small sigh of relief.

 

 

“Spock, we may not be 100% matches, but Hell, I think we’re the closest either of may ever come. And to be honest, I don’t really see a need to look for anyone else. You’re right, why go elsewhere when you’re perfectly content with what you have?”

 

 

“It is true that it would be illogical to search elsewhere for the unlikely chance at a higher gratification,” Spock agreed.

 

 

“For all intents and purposes, Spock, I’d say we are soul-mates.”

 

 

“If ever I were to find a T’hy’la, I believe I would find it in you.”

 

 

The two shared a moment. Kirk smiled widely with his lips, Spock with his eyes. And then it passed.

 

 

“Your move,” Kirk told Spock.

 

 

And their game continued.


End file.
